'"Soft play in our own zone killed us," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "We lost the one-on-one battles. They skated a little better, and they won the battle in special teams. They won the fight. They won the goaltending. They won offensively. "That leads up to getting smoked."'

'There was a sense Roenick and Tkachuk were trying to enjoy the fun while it lasts. They're intent on extracting every ounce of skill from one another before the March 13 trade deadline, and they had a ball Friday night. Roenick scored in each period, all three coming with help from Tkachuk.'